Jon Snow has continuously proven that he has all the qualities necessary for good leadership. | Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/User: Wons noj
Editor’s Note: As the world prepares for the premiere of the final season of Game of Thrones this Sunday, the opinion section will be featuring why certain characters should win the Iron Throne all week. Warning: major spoilers ahead (but Season 7 came out in 2017, so if you’re not caught up, why?). Also, neither of the writers have read the books, so this is based purely off of the show.
If a character has made it this far in “Game of Thrones,” then they’re here for a reason. Jon Snow died, but he’s been back for a while, and the show is better for it.
With great moments like the Battle of the Bastards, the King in the North scene and that time he tried to kill the Night King, it’s hard not to like him.
Today, we’ll discuss why Snow deserves to win the Iron Throne and be the winner of the Game of Thrones.
Tony
Snow is the clear front-runner to win the throne. He is the most admirable and noble character on the show. His father Eddard Stark, however, had similar traits, and we all know how that ended.
It is clear the executives on the series have no agenda and are ruthless when it comes to killing off main characters. Remember at the end of season three when Robb Stark and his army were on the verge of toppling the Lannisters? There was a wedding, and things looked to be ending on a happy note until all hell broke loose and our hearts were shattered by the guy who played the weird janitor guy from Harry Potter.
It was one of the most iconic moments in television and proved that “Game of Thrones” doesn’t care about your feelings. But maybe this is what the writers want the audience to expect. Maybe they want us to assume the worst so they can surprise us with a happy ending where Snow and Daenerys rule Westeros and the tradition of kissing cousins continues.
This is a long shot in my opinion, but today is Snow’s day, and we are discussing reasons why he is the worthy leader of the Seven Kingdoms.
It helps that Snow is easy to root for. He is a leader that is able to put his ego aside and utilize the knowledge and experience of the people around him. Snow doesn’t even want the throne. This is a rarity among the cast, and it strengthens his case to assume power.
Jorden
Jon Snow (or Aegon Targaryen), if you’re entering any kind of pool for “Game of Thrones,” is easily the best pick to win the Iron Throne. Though, as of the last few seasons, his real goal has been to prepare and warn about the White Walkers, he has all the necessary attributes to be the King of Westeros.
His story has crescendoed to this point, where he is one of the top three players. He’s faced death (literally), White Walkers, the Wall, wildlings and many other trials that would be a death sentence for most characters.
Snow is the best pick for the winner, and we all know it. But here are some reasons we know it.
Ned Stark
There’s a constant theme throughout the lives of all the Stark children (I’m including Snow as one of Ned’s children): the values of Ned Stark. It’s been well decided that Ned Stark is the man that does no wrong (to anyone else; he makes some dumb mistakes in the name of being ethical). And all his children carry on that legacy.
Snow has continuously shown he is honest and overtly ethical, even if it comes at his own expense. Last season at the pit, Snow refused to lie to Cersei, even if it meant Cersei would do what he wants. This was all on principle that one promise you know is a lie is not worth it, even if the costs are as great as losing an ally in a war against the undead.
And that’s what Westeros needs.
Uniting ability
Snow loves to unite. It’s his thing. So far in “Game of Thrones,” he’s brought two (kind of three) very different factions into his own — the wildlings, Daenerys’s and (kind of) Cersei’s.
To save the wildlings, Snow had to fight not only some of the wildlings but also the Night’s Watch as well. But he knew the wildlings needed to be saved from the White Walkers (see Hardhome).
Snow had to convince Daenerys to join him, even if the story of an undead army coming from the north sounds completely unbelievable. However, he convinced Dany, and he did much more than that.
At the end of the show, we really don’t know what we’re in for. We know that it’ll probably be a somewhat happy ending, or we can hope. If Jon Snow wins the Iron Throne, it’s probably the right choice. Is it the boring choice? Maybe. Is it the choice that makes the most sense? Yes.
Opinion Editor Jorden Smith is a political science and creative writing senior, and Assistant Opinion Editor Anthony Cianciulli is a broadcast journalism senior. They can both be reached at [email protected].
